Projects from Jim Polczynski - iron and steel * board games * The Gilded Age * music
Current Projects
NOW Available
Souls of Iron
A History of Mystery and Detective Games: 1889 to 1969
PROJECTS
Souls of Iron
Gilded Age Novels
Souls of Iron
Souls of Iron tells the story of a multi-generational iron mining and iron manufacturing family dynasty in Central Pennsylvania which began before the Revolutionary War and lasted until shortly after WWI. The story began with the arrival in Philadelphia of a sixteen-year-old immigrant, Robert Coleman, with two months worker wages in his pocket. By the time of his death in 1825 he was one of the wealthiest iron masters in Pennsylvania. Through the next four generations his descendants splintered into separate businesses all of which were purchased by Bethlehem Steel for tens of millions of dollars. The family weathered multiple scandals, great recessions and one great depression, five wars, and radical changes in technology. It is a tale of ambition and sacrifice, of family division and close-knit bonds of love and devotion, of industrial growth and catastrophic loss, of great joys and unbearable pain.
Board Games
Gilded Age Novels
Souls of Iron
History of Mystery chronicles mystery and detective board games (mostly American) from 1889 to 1969. Each game includes photos of the game box, board and pieces. Game play is described and if there are interesting aspects of the game design and mechanics of play, they are highlighted. In some cases a game may be based on a popular novel or novel series, such as Philo Vance or Nancy Drew, or based on a TV show. Other games, such as Mr. Ree and Cluedo/Clue were developed independent of any existing media. An eBook and print on demand softcover are available through most online channels and a copy with color images can be ordered on this website.
Have not updated this for awhile - my apologies. One more chapter to go before my first draft of the history of commercial strategy games is complete. Looks like 2025 for publishing.
Gilded Age Novels
Gilded Age Novels
Gilded Age Novels
I love novels published during The Gilded Age, especially those dealing with industry and business. My favorite authors include David Graham Phillips, Charles Klein, Arthur Hornblow, Will Payne, Upton Sinclair, William Dean Howells, Frank Norris, Robert Herrick, Ellen Glasgow, Theodore Dreiser, Mary E. Wilkins, Edith Wharton and others. Many of the issues we still face today were prevalent over a hundred years ago. Still, the sacrifices, hardships, successes and joys we experience today are universal and not restricted to a specific time or place. The authors and the novels may not be well known today, but the stories can still move and inspire us.
I have completed some initial research into The World of David Graham Phillips which will explore his catalogue of work. I will pick this up again when I complete my Strategy Game book. I am also toying with my own work of fiction partially set in the Gilded Age.
Crumwold Hall: Home of Archibald and Anne Coleman ROgers, Hyde Park, NY, Richard morris hunt architect, 1886
